Large, filthy park in the middle of a sketchy neighbourhood, where no one picks up after their pets…read more(probably because they're are no bags provided anywhere and these transient people are lazy). The grounds are not maintained-dirt and dead leaves, no grass. There is NO lighting. It smells awful, and although my furbabies were curious, I could see multiple scenes where people had clearly stepped in "mess" and tried scraping off their shoes on the concrete and sidewalk. I was not about to let my previous puppers in that filth. We didn't get past the first gate, and left in disgust. Make the drive to Venice. Worth peace of mind.

This is an off-leash park. You can let your dog off-leash once you get through the entrance…read moregates/walkway. My dog has a good time here. It's not a huge park, but there is plenty of room for dogs to play around. There is a smaller section for "small dogs" and then a larger section for "large dogs". In my 3 visits here, I've noticed that people end up feeling comfortable enough to bring their small dogs into the bigger section. You can bring your own dog toys (which I usually do) but there are plenty of balls, frisbees and toys here. They also have a small obstacle course for the dogs and some small "hills". There is also a water station to wash your dog off and/or to provide drinking water; I usually bring my own water for my dog. There are a few benches scattered about the park and some trees for shade.

Fantastic Kayak Launch...prepare for short carry to the slide in ramps…read more Lot's & Lot's of wildlife.... If it EVER reopens after Milton!! Let go Sarasota County, please reopen this very special park!!

Not to be confused with the state park with a similar name, this is a lil park at the end of Laurel…read moreRd past some new developments. It has a kayak, canoe boat launch. Nice paved trail and picnic tables and lots of side trail views of Myakka River. Quite lovely. No animals or dogs allowed. Beware of gators. We saw a lil one. I let it nibble on my toes. The only garbage is by entrance gate. Please take out what you bring in. Take only.photographs. Bathrooms by entrance. Closes at sunset.

The paw Park is amazing. We've been here many times and never have had a bad experience. Most…read morepeople are very polite and will clean up any mess Their dog may leave behind. There are a few I've seen that don't pick up their dogs poop. We've always experienced nice kind people and the dogs just seemed to come around you. We have a little Australian Shepherd and she loves the Paw Park. She has never had any issues with any of the dogs, regardless of size? I highly recommend the dog beach as we call it.

Love coming here with my dogs for 20+ years. There is ample parking. Access is through either the…read morelarge dog gates or the small dog gates. A few picnic benches are available and there is even a dog wash area. To access the beach go down the sidewalk and over the boardwalk to the other side of the dune. There is about a 75 yard wide section of the beach where your dogs can roam. It's tough for large dogs to really get a long run. If you want that this beach is not for you. To do that you have to go to a non-lifeguard beach access in OBX.

Great walking/ running trails. Nice Florida nature setting with pond views. Plenty of benches to…read moretake in the views, bird watch or rest. Has 2 dog parks for your little friends. I didn't give it 5 stars because there was some construction and parts of the trails were closed.

Checking out different off-leash play areas for my giant-breed pup and today's adventure was to…read moreBlue Heron. It's a fairly short ride from my home, and the description sounded nice. The good points: easy access off of River Road, adequate parking, nice sally port setup for both small dog and large dog enclosures, water bowls and fountains for both people and pets, umbrella-shaded seating areas in both enclosures, and waste bags and disposal bins in both areas. As for the not-so-good points, while there are the above-mentioned shaded seating areas for people, there really are none for dogs, nor are there any trees in or near the large dog enclosure at all. (I don't recall seeing any in the small dog enclosure either, but I may just not have looked carefully enough.) If it's anything but early morning or late evening, your dog has no choice but to be in full sun at this park. And the second detractor from this little park is that while the walking paths around the enclosures are wide and well kept, and are paved with shell in areas, they also all traverse pretty dense underbrush on both sides in some areas, and next to perfectly suited gator habitat ponds in others. Don't get me wrong - I'm not an anti-gator person AT ALL: I have always said since I first stepped foot in Florida 16 years ago that alligators (along with Florida's other apex predators, venomous snakes, disease-carriers like armadillos, venomous spiders, and protected species like burrowing owls and gopher tortoises) were in Florida long before I or anyone reading this was, and they belong here. I'm of the opinion that it is up to **US** to stay away from and leave **THEM** alone, not the other way around. That said, though, to see signs warning about gators and snakes along the walking paths is one thing if humans are the most prevalent non-native species to visit it. We take our own risks and unless they're very large, gators are USUALLY not interested in prey as large as a person. It's a different situation, however, when dogs are as likely as humans to be on that path, and that just seems like a very unwise idea to me, especially with all the stories we hear in the news about people walking their dogs too close to alligator habitat and losing their pets to a hungry gator as a result. After letting my puppy explore the large dog enclosure for a bit I started to walk him around the park, but after only a few yards, eyeing up the water (3 separate, large, unfenced ponds that I could see - not that fencing will necessarily stop a gator as they ARE known to climb them), the sluices, and the dense underbrush around, I decided it wasn't really a good idea, and we returned home. So a pretty park, and if it's just you and you want to walk the perimeter as well, probably a good place for those morning or evening laps. If it's you and your dog, probably wiser to stay in one of the enclosures, and with no trees for your dog to lie and relax under between play bouts, avoid high sun hours altogether.

Loved our walk here. Great trail along Alligator creek, approximately 2.75 miles loop. Great dog…read morepark and play scape. Definitely coming back. Dog friendly

Wonderful little park! I always stop here for a stroll in the paths and a play at the playground…read more Stop by with the dogs or the little ones, park is adjacent to a waterway also, fishing pole optional. The playground is always barren and the dog Park always busy.

A current five that is probably descending into a three which won't make it a four. Why? My retired…read moreLAPD buddy has the inside track on new plans to cut 17th Street Dog Park in half and add T-ball for kiddos that probably won't use it and don't really need to either. I played college baseball and I started out in my backyard hitting balls off a Brooklyn Union Gas cone, by myself with a Louisville Slugger that was bigger than me. I could barely get it off my shoulder but I wanted a professional baseball bat so badly and Santa came thru. This park has lots of grass so the large breeds can really open up and tear arse up and down, left and right and back again. Because you see, with grass they gain traction and dogs are less likely to dig holes which could cause a leg break. But let's destroy the parks of largest the loves that some families have and live to dictate our pleasures by their lives by their noise machines that are far too young to be playing this type of game. Basketball no football no baseball no tennis no golf no volleyball no soccer yes. But annoying parents on these silly boards of the who knows who, the corrupted the selfish just to see little Johnny in a uniform with the helmet fifty times too big that little Johnny can't even see. Awwww, how cuuuuute.. They can point to first base if little Johnny makes contact because little Johnny has no idea which way to run and will likely disobey and run towards third base anyway and I suppose that's good for more laughs whilst I cringe and steam. It's so cute for these follies to play out every weekend for two hours to a nail biting, exciting and riveting zero zero tie -- for the entire season. Two hours a week to take half the park? Nice planning necks.

Only GOD loves you more than your DOG! #ReflectDogs Love &…read moreForgiveness If it had a water feature it would most certainly be a five-star Park! It has a very nice double-gated entry and it has multiple places to sit that are shaded by trees in groupings all over the park. There are a couple nice water stations as well as book bag dispensers and trash cans spaced all throughout the park. There is more than enough room for your dog to get a good run going no matter how big it is. It seems like a pretty mellow and calm crowd! There is a cool little Beach area in the back that has the agility items in it. You can park right outside of the dog park on a nice dirt lot.

Great park for all sizes of dogs! Our dog went to the small dog park and we met some wonderful…read moreowners with their pups. Space was clean and well-maintained. Had plenty of shade and a kiddie pool for filling off in the Florida heat.

Separate play areas for dogs of all sizes. Wonderful little trail and a walking distance from any…read moreof the surrounding neighborhoods.

It's an extremely small park so if you want to take a long walk, this is not the park for you…read more Parking is 12$ an hour unless you're able to get lucky and get free parking when someone else leaves. If you want to go fishing you're going to have to get your feet wet and get into the water. Cute fishing spot just wish it was a bit bigger. Gets crowded pretty quick and not much space to fish with others there.